Gruner + Jahr´s commitment to the environment extends beyond the company itself. As a publishing house which is closely connected with the River Elbe and which produces magazines and newspapers in Hamburg and Dresden, two cities lying on the Elbe, Gruner + Jahr is committed to this great European river and the people living along its banks.

The Living Elbe project was launched by the Deutsche Umwelthilfe e.V. (DUH) and the Gruner + Jahr publishing house on January 1, 1997. The project has the three B´s (Biber, Buhnen, Badespaß) as its motto. Biber [beavers] stands for traditional nature preservation, Buhnen [breakwaters] for the sponsorship of long-term economic development of the Elbe region, and Badespaß [bathing] for the relationship between the river and the people living on its banks. The plan is to make the Elbe a lifeline for mankind, nature and economically compatible industry. The quality of the Elbe´s water has showed a steady improvement in recent years and this led to the decision to make July 14, 2002 the Elbe´s first International Bathing Day. More than 80,000 river enthusiasts celebrated their Elbe in more than 55 cities in the Czech Republic and Germany - more than 5,000 swimmers dived into the cool waters. An encouraging sign for Roberto Eppie, one of the main initiators of the bathing day: "You simply protect what you love."

Under a joint project entitled "Living Elbe" (link in German only), the Deutsche Umwelthilfe (German Environmental Association) and Gruner + Jahr are planning a comprehensive initiative to protect the river along its whole length, from the source to the mouth. This involves support for the more than 400 active environmental organizations stationed along the river, lobbying activities for conservation of its natural state and sponsorship of innovative projects. The long term objective of this co-operation is to make stretches of the unique river landscapes along the Elbe part of the world’s cultural heritage.

The river meadows near Dresden are an example of the great importance of the natural and cultural landscape along the river Elbe. In July 2004, the UNESCO listed this 18 kilometer (11 mile) stretch along the shore around the Saxon capital as a world heritage site. Thus another important cornerstone for the project "Living Elbe" has been achieved.

In addition to providing financial support for the Living Elbe project and other innovative initiatives, Gruner + Jahr is also bringing its media know-how into play to improve communication on environmental protection and nature preservation. It is supporting a PR campaign for projects connected with the Elbe. These include a quarterly Elbe Letter, organization of press excursions, design of the Elbe Exhibition and an illustrated book entitled "The Living Elbe", as well as a website at (www.rivernet.org/elbe).

In order to kindle enthusiasm for the needs of the new ´living´ Elbe among the younger generation in particular, a campaign entitled Schools for a Living Elbe was launched in 1997. Over 200 schools in the river´s catchment area are now involved in this campaign. School pupils from the river´s source in the Czech Republic to its mouth in the North Sea are showing a lively interest in its tributaries, checking water quality, drawing up pollution balance sheets and investigating use of the land in the vicinity.